Saturday, May 18, 2013

Maryland's Hoof-First Connection to the Triple Crown: Raceplates and Horseshoers in Preakness History

Photos from Victory Racing Plates, a Baltimore-based horse shoe manufacturer whose plates have been on eight of the 11 horses that won the Triple Corwn. (Courtesy of Only A Game's Sam Gallant)It's Preakness Stakes day in the USA! Whether you think Kentucky Derby winner Orb is a shoe-in to win in his Jim Bayes Jr. crafted raceplates or if you like California's Goldencents, shod by Jim Jimenez, today's the day they line up at the Baltimore, Maryland track affectionately known as "Old Hilltop" for the second leg of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred racing.

What is it about Maryland? Why are there so many connections to the Triple Crown that pass through this state?

As the racing world comes to Baltimore for the second leg of the Crown, it also enters a zone of rich hoofcare tradition, historic icons and even a noisy factory where the raw material of aluminum is crafted into the delicate raceplates today's runners will wear.

You can hear all about it, too: National Pubic Radio (NPR) devoted a big segment today to Baltimore's own aluminum racing plate factory known as the Victory Racing Plate Company, including a listen-in podcast version of NPR interviewing Victory President Dave Erb and Baltimore-area racetrack shoer Joe Ludford.

While Dave states that eight of the 11 winners of the Triple Crown wore Victory Racing Plates, it might be an even better statistic if people knew that Sir Barton won the Triple Crown before aluminum plates like Victory's were available.

The last farrier to shoe a Triple Crown winner was Affirmed's Elmer Campbell, who was from Maryland, as well. He shod Affirmed in 1978, and no one has won the Triple Crown since. The year before, Seattle Slew, who won the Triple Crown in 1977, wore shoes fitted for him by another Maryland horseshoer, Dave Pearce.

Andrew McDermott with Man o' War's
shoes. He described himself as the
great horse's "farrier and shoeing
smith". (McDermott family photo)

Man o' War didn't win the Triple Crown--he never had a chance, since he wasn't entered in the Kentucky Derby in the first place. He did defeat the very first Triple Crown winner Sir Barton, however. Sir Barton was shod by Mr. Widener's exclusive horseshoer, Benjamin Franklin Talbert, who lined the colt's shoes with piano-key felt to protect his fragile feet.

Hoofcare Publishing is working on compiling an honor roll of horseshoers who worked on Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown winners of the past (and present). If you have information, please send an email or get in touch however you can. You can also leave a comment at the end of this article.

Elmer, Dave, Andrew and the rebellious horseshoers of the IUJH's Local 7 may be gone, but there is a new generation of farriers working the tracks and farms in Maryland today. People like Berkley Kern, who seem to understand the tradition that they follow every day as they make their way around the barns.

And if you have a hankering to place a bet today at Pimlico, Berkley's trainee horse Trappist Monk is running today, on the Preakness Day card, in the second race at Pimlico.

WBAL has a page devoted to Berkley, where you can listen to several sound files of interviews with him, as well as the video.

On Saturday morning, Orb--who shares a connection to Maryland via one of his owners, Mr. Janney-- is the odds-on favorite to win the Preakness, even after drawing the inside post on the rail. It's up to him now, to make his way into the history books if he can. He'll be in good company on those pages that are rich with connections to Maryland.

Good luck to everyone, and don't miss it! The telecast begins at 4:30 p.m. EDT on NBC with the actual post time of the race estimated around 6:30.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

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